muffler rumbled or the car shook when it went fast. She was with Conor and they were spending time in the real world. That was as close to heaven as she could imagine.
Conor drove through Concord, heading toward downtown Boston. Olivia stared out the window, watching the scenery pass by. Although she’d seen the same sights many times, everything looked so much brighter and prettier to her eyes. She hadn’t realized how sheltered she had been, locked away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see,” Conor replied with a smile.
She slid over the wide front seat to sit beside him, then slipped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. “I know I’m going to have a good time, no matter where we go.”
They rode most of the way in silence, enjoying the drive together. Conor steered the car off the freeway and soon they were winding along Boston’s waterfront near the Fort Point Channel. Conor found a parking spot and they got out of the car and began to walk toward Waterfront Park. Olivia wove her fingers through his and they strolled hand in hand to a grassy spot near the water’s edge.
“I used to come here when I was a kid,” Conor explained. He sat down on the grass and pulled her down next to him, then smiled crookedly. “Come to think of it, I wasn’t ever really a kid.”
“You weren’t?”
Conor shook his head. “Not after my ma left. When my da was out chasing swordfish around the North Atlantic, I’d have to find things to keep my brothers busy during the summer. Dylan and Brendan liked to get into trouble. So we’d take the ‘T’ and come out here and watch the planes all day. And if we had enough money, we’d ride the ferry back and forth to Logan. Sometimes we’d even go inside the airport, although security knew to look out for us.”
“All by yourself?”
“I was sixteen and my brothers were used to listening to me. It was cheap entertainment. And it was a favorite trip. If I ever wanted my brothers to do something, all I had to do was promise them a trip out here to watch the planes. Brendan used to love this spot. He’d memorize plane schedules and he’d know where every plane was going. I think that’s what gave him such wanderlust.”
“You did a good job with them,” Olivia said softly as she squeezed his hand. “They’re all wonderful men. I don’t even know them well, but I know that’s true.”
“Problem is, I didn’t do such a good job on myself,” he said, his smile turning ironic.
“That’s not true,” Olivia said.
Conor shrugged. “I never gave myself much chance to have fun. My brothers say I have to lighten up.”
“We’ve had fun together,” she said, “when we weren’t getting shot at.”
“But I never had fun when I was younger. Never went out on a date until I was nineteen. Girls didn’t exactly enjoy five younger brothers tagging along everywhere I went. And I couldn’t trust Dylan or Brendan to take care of the twins and Liam. So I was a stay-at-home brother. I guess that’s why my social skills leave something to be desired.”
“Well, I think you have other skills that make up for that,” she said as she lay back on the grass.
Olivia stared up at the sky, a perfect shade of blue. She’d been to Waterfront Park before, but today was different. She was seeing it through Conor’s eyes. As the planes roared overhead, heading out in different directions from Logan, Olivia could almost picture those six lost boys. He’d been a good parent to them, and he’d probably be an even better parent to his own children. She had never thought much about a family of her own. But sitting here next to Conor, she could imagine them with children.
“Olivia, there’s something I need to tell you.”
She opened her eyes to find him leaning over her, a serious expression on his face. Reaching out, Olivia placed a finger over his lips. “No,” she murmured. “This day is perfect. I don’t want to spoil it. There’ll be time to talk later. I just want to enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine.” She flopped back on the grass and stared up at the sky. “How could I have been so terrified just a week ago and so incredibly happy today? I just want it to last.”
“I’m glad,” he said, sitting back.
She shaded her eyes with her hand to study his face, then rolled over on her stomach. “What’s it going to be like after I testify?” she asked. “Will I still have to worry about Keenan?”
“No,” Conor said softly. “You won’t have to worry about Keenan ever again.”
“But what if he gets out and he decides he wants revenge?”
Conor took her hand and brought it to his lips, then placed a warm kiss on the inside of her wrist. “Then I’ll protect you,” he said.
His words were so simple and heartfelt that Olivia could almost believe he’d be there. “Will we see each other after the trial?” she asked.
Conor shrugged. “You’ll be busy trying to get your business back on track. And you’ll have your friends. You won’t have any time to think about me.”
“That’s not true,” Olivia said.
“It is,” Conor replied. “Be honest, Olivia. If I’d walked up to you on the street and asked you out, you would have run in the opposite direction. You’re from a different world, privileged, sophisticated, cultured. I’m just a cop and not a very good one at that.”
“But that’s not who I am,” she said. “I didn’t grow up on Beacon Hill. I grew up living above a little store-front in North End. My parents were hippies. They bought and sold what they called antiques, but what I’d probably call junk. We were poor, living hand-to-mouth. This me that you think you know is a me that I constructed from scratch. I read magazines to learn how to dress and studied books to understand my clients. I even took speech lessons so I could talk like I had money. I’m a complete fraud.”
“But you belong in that world now,” he said. “You’ve made a place for yourself with your high-society friends and your expensive antiques.”
“But I like your world,” she countered. “It’s much more exciting. It makes me feel alive.”
Conor shook his head. “I’ll make you a deal. When this is over, we’ll go back to our lives, and if you still feel the same way in a month, then we’ll talk.”
An entire month without Conor was unthinkable. She could barely pass an hour alone without craving the sound of his voice or the warmth of his touch. But Conor had wounds that went deep, wounds that made him distrust women. If he needed them to have time apart to prove her feelings, then that’s what she’d give him. “Promise?” she asked. “Just a month?”
He nodded.
“I’ll never regret what we shared,” she said.
“Neither will I,” Conor replied, dropping a quick kiss on her lips. “Neither will I.”
THE LADIES had gathered around the table for morning coffee as was their habit but, today, they had invited themselves over to Olivia’s apartment for the morning ritual. Olivia hadn’t had the heart to refuse and, in all truth, she welcomed the company. She needed something-anything-to take her mind off Conor.
Since their field trip to the airport, things had changed, in some ways for the better, but in many ways for the worse. They’d become closer than ever emotionally, sharing stories from their pasts and spending the waking hours together in quiet conversation. They’d talked about his childhood, his parents, his early years in Ireland. She felt as if she’d been given a window into his soul and it was a rare gift. Conor wasn’t one to let anyone see the real man beneath the indifferent exterior. She’d been allowed in.
But since that night when they had returned from Waterfront Park, Conor hadn’t shared her bed. Like so many other topics of conversation, Olivia had been afraid to broach the subject with him. Besides, she suspected what he was doing. They only had a few more days together before the trial and he was preparing them both for the inevitable. Once the trial began, there’d be no more reason for them to be together. It was a sensible plan, Olivia thought, though it was hard to fall asleep without Conor exhausting her first with his lovemaking and then keeping her warm with his body. She’d been tempted to go to him, to ask him for one last night together. But she’d done that once and she couldn’t bear to do it again.
Olivia drew a deep breath. She should have been satisfied with the new direction their relationship had taken- one where emotional intimacy had replaced physical pleasure. But over the past few days, she’d come to love Conor more than ever. And she wanted to express it in both words and actions.
